The U.S. May Need a Chemical Arsenal to Deter Chemical Attacks

This weekend’s elaborately choreographed, devastating and expensive aerial bombardment of Syria by the United States, Great Britain and France highlighted an alarming reality: The three facilities targeted represent just part of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons arsenal.

And Assad’s arsenal likely pales compared to those of his allies: Russia, Iran and China. And none of them is supposed to exist.

All four nations are parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention that we were told would “rid the world” of chemical arms. It turns out, the CWC only rid the Free World of the one proven means to prevent the use of these terrible weapons: the threat of in-kind retaliation.

Faced with the present – and growing – danger posed by these weapons of mass destruction in the hands of unfree nations, the United States should reconsider its posture of unilateral chemical disarmament.